Clear and Present Danger (1994)

CIA Analyst Jack Ryan is drawn into an illegal war fought by the US government against a Colombian drug cartel.

Director:

Phillip Noyce

Writers:

Tom Clancy (novel), Donald E. Stewart (screenplay) (as Donald Stewart)

Stars:

Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Harrison Ford	...	Jack Ryan
Willem Dafoe	...	Clark
Anne Archer	...	Cathy Ryan
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Felix Cortez
Henry Czerny	...	Robert Ritter
Harris Yulin	...	James Cutter
Donald Moffat	...	President Bennett
Miguel Sandoval	...	Ernesto Escobedo
Benjamin Bratt	...	Captain Ramirez
Raymond Cruz	...	Chavez
Dean Jones	...	Judge Moore
Thora Birch	...	Sally Ryan
Ann Magnuson	...	Moira Wolfson
Hope Lange	...	Senator Mayo
Tom Tammi	...	Emile Jacobs

Storyline

Jack Ryan is back and this time the bad guys are in his own government. When Admiral James Greer becomes sick with cancer, Ryan is appointed acting CIA Deputy Director of Intelligence. Almost before he can draw a breath in his new position, one of the president's closest friends and his family are murdered in their sleep by what appears to by drug cartels. Ryan is called in to investigate, but unknown to him the CIA has already sent a secret field operative to lead an illegal paramilitary force in Colombia against cartels. Things get even more complicated when his team is set up and he loses an agent in the field and a friend of his wife's, who was the murdered agent's secretary, is murdered that same day. Ryan must then risk not only his career, but his life to expose the truth behind the mystery.

---

Plot Keywords:

jack ryan character | good versus evil | cia | drugs | colombia | 

---

Taglines:

The war of drugs would lead him to the war of power.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

---

Certificate:

PA

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the movie, CIA computer whiz Petey (Greg Germann) cracks the password of the boat victim by trying combinations of birthday numbers of the victim's family. This is a relic of 1994, when the Internet was fledgling and most people didn't have email or anything that required a password on their personal computers. By 2000, email and other online accounts had blossomed, and more people were aware that simple passwords weren't a good idea. In 2010 meanwhile, most websites have requirements on "password entropy" and reject outright such simple passwords as too easy to crack. On a side note, as a member of the CIA, Ritter probably had a "cryptocard" or other device that told him what his password was when he logged in, and changed every hour or every minute.

---

Goofs

After the special operations team drops the satchel charge into the cocaine processing facility, a soldier on the right side of the frame can be seen firing his rifle to cover the team's retreat, but the rifle's report cannot be heard.

---

Quotes

John Clark: "Reciprocity." That's a clever name for it. Revenge is a very, very, very dangerous motivation.
Robert Ritter: Are you able to handle this operation or not? What I'm looking for here is a simple yes or no.
John Clark: What you're looking for is a political mess.
Robert Ritter: Yes or no?
John Clark: Is that what they want? Because that's what this is.
Robert Ritter: They want what every first-term administration wants - a second term.

---

Connections

References Aliens (1986)

---

Soundtracks

Cocktail Time
by Sam Fonteyn

User Reviews

A Lot More Good Than Bad

Harrison Ford returns as "Jack Ryan," star of the very well-done "Patriot Games," the film adaption off the best-selling Tom Clancy novels. Also returning are Anne Archer and James Earl Jones.

THE BAD - This isn't as intense, especially in the first half hour, as Patriot Games and the ending was a little disappointing with a action-scene credibility problem. Once again - it's getting to be a tired Hollywood theme - top U.S. government officials, going all the way to the President, are corrupt people, liars not to be trusted.

THE GOOD - It's nice to see Willem Dafoe finally play a good guy. The villains in here are deceptively interesting, actors such as Joaquim De Almeida, Harris Yulin and Henry Czerny and Miguel Sandoval - not big names but recognizable and good actors. The violence is not overdone in here and when the action does occur, the sound is terrific. The best action scene was shootout in the streets with snipers firing at cars below.

The positives are far more than the negatives, making this a solid thriller.

Details

Country:

USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 August 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Danger immédiat

Filming Locations:

Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$62,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,348,017, 7 August 1994

Gross USA:

$122,187,717

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$215,887,717

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mace Neufeld Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1